2010

Dec. 10, 2010 - In the "After Hours" section of the Pittsburgh Business Times, Miner is pictured speaking with Christian Frahm of Draeger Safety, in his role as Malin Bergquist's chief marketing officer, at the newspaper's annual Manufacturer of the Year awards dinner. View.

Nov. 16, 2010 - Miner is elected to the board of directors of the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation, which operates an award winning heritage museum and helps maintain the site of the Revolutionary War's Fort McIntosh. He was president of the Foundation in 2005-2006.

Nov. 6, 2010 - In a story about the Beaver Area Heritage Museum's Bricks, Mortar and Charm display, headlined "Exhibit Celebrates the Many Styles of Homes in Beaver," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette publishes a photo Miner and museum chairman Edwards McLaughlin posed among hundreds of photographs documenting the community's rich architectural heritage. Link.

Nov. 4, 2010 - Miner presents his fifth annual guest lecture to Dr. Michael Walsh's senior marketing classes at West Virginia University's College of Business and Economics, on the topic of "Real Life Marketing: What Happens When Life Comes At You Fast."

 

Malin Bergquist's Jeffrey Deane welcomes guests to the German American Business Circle's 20th anniversary event.

May 4, 2010 - At the 20th anniversary celebration of the German American Business Circle at the Hofbrauhaus in Pittsburgh, Miner introduces guest speakers Jeffrey Deane, head of Malin Bergquist's International Businesses Group, and Bill Flanagan, executive vice president of corporate relations for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

April 30, 2010 - The German American Business Circle in Pittsburgh launches it new website, which Miner leads in his public affairs role with GABC sponsor Malin Bergquist. One of the site's purposes is to be a voice of advocacy for the 70 German owned companies operating in the Pittsburgh region that employ 11,000. The other is to help tell the region's attractive economic development story to companies in Germany and Europe seeking an American locale.

 

The German American Business Circle's new website in Pittsburgh

 

April 21, 2010 - Miner makes a presentation at the Rotary Club of Beaver, PA, about the work of the Hope and Development Foundation in Nicaragua. Beaver Rotary's board of directors recently underwrote the cost to ship discarded sports uniforms from the former Mt. Gallitzin Academy to Hope and Development for distribution to schoolchildren in rural Villa El Carmen, Nicaragua.

April 20, 2010 - For the third year in a row, the public accounting firm of Malin Bergquist, for which Miner serves as chief marketing officer, releases its Annual Review 2009. The report highlights Malin Bergquist clients Dad's Pet Products, Ardex America, Protea Biosciences, Pressley Ridge and the Erie law firm of Carney & Good, as well as features on the firm's sponsorship of the Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership, joint venture in the FD Alliance, news media coverage, a tribute to the firm's servicemen, and a focus on its people. The back cover is devoted to the firm's charity of choice -- the fight against cancer.

 

Malin Bergquist CEO David Bluemling at the Pittsburgh Rotary Club describing the importance of German industry in the region

March 3, 2010 - Miner formally introduces CEO David Bluemling and Ardex America CEO Stephan Liozu who jointly make a presentation at the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh about the 20th anniversary of the German American Business Circle and its forward-looking vision for economic development.

Feb. 10, 2010 - Taking advantage of the popular social media tool, Miner creates a first-ever Facebook page for the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation, to help attract Beaver Area diaspora all across the nation so they can become enthusiastic fans of the organization. The objective also is to use the page as communications device for members so they can recieve better information faster..

Jan. 24, 2010 - The firm sponsors the 2009 Annual Review webpage of Miner's personal, award-winning genealogy and regional history website, Minerd.com, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2010. Family Tree Magazine twice has named it one of the nation's "Top 10 Family Web Sites."

Jan. 24, 2010 - Miner is interviewed for 25 minutes on "The Rob Pratte Show" on KDKA-AM describing upcoming exhibits at the Beaver Area Heritage Museum and commenting on the future plans for the former Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad passenger station building in Beaver, with Pratte calling the museum "a national destination... that's how big this thing has become."

 

On the set of Nicaragua's Revista Esta Mañana TV talk show, left to right, ECI Development representatives Miner, Carolyn Keeling and Adiak Barahona, with the show host.

 

Jan. 18, 2010 - As a guest on Nicaragua Channel 8's popular morning TV talk show, Revista Esta Mañana, Miner and ECI Development representatives Carolyn Keeling and Adiak Barahona discuss progress at the Gran Pacifica Resort and how the new Baseball Academy of Central America, located adjacent to Gran Pacifica, will make a difference in the lives of young people in Nicaragua.

 

Shareholders and lot owners of ECI Development at Gran Pacifica Beach and Golf Resort, January 2010

 

Jan. 17, 2010 - In coordination with the Hope and Development Foundation in Nicaragua, Miner and more than 20 ECI Development board directors, shareholders and friends visit the rural San Miguel School in the Villa El Carmen region of Nicaragua to provide humanitarian services benefitting elementary-age students. The work entails painting, planting trees, delivering school supplies and sponsoring a piñata contest. Hope and Development promotes community empowerment through education, vocational training, job opportunities and improved health.

 

Miner joins with ECI Development board directors, shareholders and friends who paint, plant trees and deliver school supplies at a rural school in Villa El Carmen, Nicaragua

Jan. 16, 2010 - Miner provides a public relations update and powerpoint presentation at the annual meeting of shareholders of ECI Development, Ltd., at the Hilton Princess Hotel in Managua, Nicaragua, introduced by Chairman and CEO Michael Cobb.

Jan. 2, 2010 - The partners and staff of the public accounting firm of Malin Bergquist of Pittsburgh and Erie form a charitable foundation, Malin Bergquist Charities, Inc. The non-profit body is a vehicle for attracting a larger volume of donations from clients and friends of the firm for use in the firmwide fight against cancer. Miner is elected president of the new charity.

2009

Fall 2009 - In the "Special Thanks" section of his newly published book, entitled Bridgewater: A Narrative History of a Pennsylvania River Town, local author Valentine J. Brkich acknowledges Miner and several other volunteers with the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation as informational sources in the preparation of the volume.

Nov. 13, 2009 - In a holiday-related story, "Pittsburgh Companies Retain Spirit of Giving," the Pittsburgh Business Times quotes chief marketing officer Mark Miner about Malin Bergquist's matching fundraising policy supporting the firm's cause of choice, the fight against cancer, and how the initiative is "increasingly a part of our culture." Full text.

 

Miner describes his collegiate and career experiences to senior marketing students in classes taught by Dr. Michael Walsh at Miner's alma mater, West Virginia University.

 

Nov. 12, 2009 - Miner presents his fourth annual guest lecture to senior marketing classes at West Virginia University's College of Business and Economics, on the topic of "Real Life Marketing: What You're Not Taught in College."

Nov. 4, 2009 - Miner is quoted in a special edition of Duquesne University's Nonprofit Leadership Institute e-newsletter, intended "to share with readers an inspiring insight into a leading community service CPA firm, Malin Bergquist, one of the NLI's annual sponsors." The story highlights Malin Bergquist's firmwide fight against cancer and its sponsorship of the Pittsburgh -20 Partnership. Full text.

Oct. 29, 2009 - At a dinner honoring American Cancer Society volunteers at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh, Malin Bergquist receives the Pennsylvania Division's highest annual honor, the "Corporate Excellence Award," for the firm's "leadership in the fight against cancer." With representatives of the firm's offices in Erie, Greensburg and Pittsburgh in attendance, chief marketing officer Miner -- a new member of the Society's board of directors in Pittsburgh -- accepts the handsome crystal on behalf of the firm, and cites the importance of leadership in opening new doors for ACS services and messages in the future.

Sept. 24-25, 2009 - The CPA firm of Malin Bergquist, for which Miner serves as chief marketing officer, is the only CPA firm to be a major sponsor of the Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership helping the region maximize its worldwide visibility during the Group of 20 (G-20) Summit. Malin Bergquist launches a G-20 website in German and English to promote to the foreign press and dignitaries the importance of German companies on the Pittsburgh regional economy, featuring the stories of Ardex, Draeger Safety, Flabeg Solar and Lanxess. The firm's G-20 advocacy and expertise in international financial reporting standards are covered extensively by the news media with stories by the Associated Press, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Business Times and WDUQ-FM Radio.

Aug. 22, 2009 - Miner is mentioned twice on Weekend Magazine with Rob Pratte on 1020 KDKA-AM, in an interview with Beaver Area Heritage Foundation President Edwards McLaughlin, for his volunteer work with the Heritage Foundation and Museum.

 

CPAmerica's national newsletter featuring Malin Bergquist's firmwide fight against cancer

 

August 2009 - CPAmerica International's popular Brainstorming newsletter, distributed to more than 2,500 U.S. based certified public accountants with 80 independent member firms, publishes a front-page, top headline story about Malin Bergquist's firmwide fight against cancer, mentioning Miner and noting that "When faced with great sadness... employees marshalled their resources and decided to turn their grief toward making a difference."

June 23, 2009 - Miner is elected to the board of directors of the American Cancer Society, Greater Pittsburgh Unit, for a three-year term, in connection with his role as head of Malin Bergquist Charities and its firmwide fight against cancer.

June 3, 2009 - In his role as director of U.S. public affairs for Gran Pacifica Beach and Golf Resort, and at the request of Nicaragua's investment promotion agency (ProNicaragua), Miner makes a presentation at the Nicaragua Embassy in Washington, DC, to representatives of a national trade association, on the benefits of living in Nicaragua and Central America. He is introduced by Nicaragua Tourism Minister Mario Salinas Pasos.

May 8, 2009 - Malin, Bergquist & Company, LLP, one of the largest and fastest growing CPA firms in Pittsburgh, Greensburg and Erie, PA, releases its newly published Annual Review for the second year in a row, for the benefit of clients and friends of the firm. Click for a printer-friendly copy.

March 22, 2009 - The Sunday Pittsburgh Post-Gazette publishes a guest column, "Ready for Global Financial Standards?", authored by Jeffrey Deane and Peter Kern, partners with the Malin Bergquist CPA firm. Full text.

Feb. 20, 2009 - In its special issue on accountants, the Pittsburgh Business Times pictures and quotes Miner in a story headlined "Clients Urged to Be Bold and Not Cut Marketing Budgets." Calling him a "marketing multitasker," the article cites Miner's view that "when the economy retreats, personal relationships count more than ever." The article cites Miner's work as chief marketing officer for the Malin Bergquist CPA firm, and highlights the firm's launch of a new German-language website. Click for article.

Jan. 16, 2009 - Miner provides a public relations update at the annual meeting of shareholders of ECI Development, Ltd., at the company's Grand Baymen resort in San Pedro, Belize.

Jan. 2009 - Accountants and staff of Malin Bergquist complete deliveries of 400 sets of attractive books -- dealing with the sensitivities of cancer as seen through the eyes of children and teens -- to public libraries and schools in Allegheny, Erie and Westmoreland Counties, PA, all on company time. The effort, which Miner is helping to lead, is a tribute to the untimely cancer-caused deaths of two partners and an office manager during the past 18 months as the firm's signature charity.

Jan. 2009 - Miner releases the 2008 Annual Review of his proprietary, award-winning genealogy and regional history website, Minerd.com.

2008

Nov. 11, 2008 - Miner presents a guest lecture at the College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University for the third straight year on the topic of “Tough Lessons in Real Life Marketing and Public Relations."

 

Miner, left, and Gran Pacifica founders Joel Nagel and Mike Cobb escort a Forbes reporter along the resort's 3.5 miles of pristine Pacific beachfront

 

Oct. 7, 2008 - In its "2009 Retirement Guide," Forbes Magazine features Miner's client, Gran Pacifica Resort in a story headlined: "Is Nicaragua the Next Retirement Paradise?" Copies are available in bookstores and newsstands all across the United States and Canada. Colorful aerial photographs of Gran Pacifica's lush green site, filled with homes and Las Perlas condominium, comprise about half of the opening two-page spread.

Writes Forbes: "With 450 miles of coastline, charming Spanish colonial towns, a cost of living up to 60% less than in the U.S. and a good reputation for safety, it's an exotic Florida on the cheap,” and adds, "the country's best selling point has been value." The story cites Gran Pacifica's infrastructure, debt-free status, construction progress and vision to be 'a Mayberry by the beach'." Forbes also cites some of the obstacles that have arisen in recent years, but makes it very clear that Gran Pacifica is "undeterred" and has found creative ways to continue plowing ahead.

 

Special "Pittsburgh 250" commemorative issue of Pittsburgh Quarterly

September 2008 - In its special commemorative "Pittsburgh 250" edition, Pittsburgh Quarterly magazine publishes "Family Is Everything -- and for Mark Miner, Cousins Are Everywhere," authored by Miner and mentioning his firm. The article highlights Miner's award-winning Minerd.com website and describes how it is contributing to the Pittsburgh 250 initiative. In promoting the article, publisher Doug Heuck writes that the annual National Minerd-Miner Reunion "could fill Heinz Field." Click for a reprint (1MB in size).

 

Left: honor guard prior to the unveiling of the Ohio HistoricalSociety "Custer Homestead" marker in Tontogany, Ohio. Right, L-R: Miner poses with re-enactors portraying double Medal of Honor winner Capt. Thomas Ward Custer and Gen. George Armstrong Custer

 

Aug. 10, 2008 - Miner helps state and local dignitaries dedicate a bronze Ohio Historical Society marker honoring the "Custer Homestead" in Tontogany, Ohio. The plaque memorializes General George Armstrong Custer and his family during their little-known years in Tontogany during the Civil War. At the dedication, Miner gives a talk on "Tontogany's Deep Secret" featuring his award-winning story of the general's brother, two-time Medal of Honor winner Captain Thomas Ward Custer, neighbor girl Rebecca Minerd and their child born out of wedlock, Thomas C. "Tommy" Custer. Click for more.

July 25-26, 2008 - Capping a decade-long research project, Miner personally publishes and distributes a book reprinting a complete set of issues of the Younkin Family News Bulletin newspaper, originally published between 1937 and 1941 on a nationwide scale. The high quality, tabloid-size publication contains high quality copies of all 44 pages from the eight original editions, published by Charles Arthur Younkin of Charleroi, PA during the Great Depression and just before World War II. The book also features copies of original invitations and newspaper clippings from the National Younkin Home Coming Reunions of Somerset County, PA, held between 1934 to 1941. Plans are to distribute copies of the book to public libraries and historical societies throughout Western Pennsylvania, underwritten by today's National Younkin-Junghen Reunion. The initiative is covered by the Uniontown Herald-Standard (headlined "Reprinting of Family's Newspaper Highlights Reunion") and Somerset Daily American.

Judge Joy Conti, left, with Miner and Milded Sefton of the Beaver Area Heritage Museum

March 28, 2008 - Miner is pictured and quoted in the Lawyers Journal of the Allegheny County Bar Association in a major feature article, "U.S. District Court Portrait Collection Nearly Complete." He is pictured with the Hon. Judge Joy Flowers Conti, Chair of the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, as she unveils a portrait of the late U.S. District Judge W.H. “Seward” Thomson in the court offices in Pittsburgh, along with Mildred Sefton, representing the trustees of the Beaver Area Heritage Museum. Click for a reprint of the article.